


A Tale of Two Lilies

by Eye_Greater_Than_Three



Series: The Halloween Collection [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Character Death, F/M, FIx It, Het, Pureblood Culture, Pureblood Society, Time Travel, evil!Snape, female!Harry, good!Peter, mentions of original characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-25 10:02:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4956007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eye_Greater_Than_Three/pseuds/Eye_Greater_Than_Three
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the start of fifth year, Lily met the new transfer student, Haley.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fifth Year

She couldn't believe it. She was _late_. Lily Evans was _never_ late. She couldn't recall _one time_ she was late. But here was, running late to catch the Hogwarts Express before her fifth year. After bidding her parents farewell, Lily boarded the Express.

Looking for a compartment, she found one in the middle of the train. There was a girl with a black cat inside. Lily didn't recognize the girl, but there several students at Hogwarts in each year. This girl had brown hair, and slightly tanned skin. If Lily had to guess, this girl was around fifteen or sixteen.

When Lily entered the compartment, the black cat turned to look at her. This cat had silver eyes, and those eyes were staring at Lily unblinkingly.

“Can I join you?” Lily asked.

When the girl turned to look at her, Lily found herself staring into a set of familiar green eyes. The girl smiled. “Of course,” she replied.

Lily pulled her trunk into the compartment. The girl stood up and helped Lily load into the overhead storage.

“I don't recognize you,” Lily said. “I'm Lily Evans.”

“I'm a fifth year transfer,” the girl said, offering her hand. “My name's Haley Narcissus.”

“I didn't know Hogwarts accepted transfer students.”

“Not usually, but Headmaster Dumbledore and the Board accept me based on my academic achievements.”

Lily tilted her head. How could Haley have academic achievements when she hadn't even taken her OWLs or NEWTs.

“I've completed my Mastery in Ancient Runes, and I'm half through my Mastery in Transfigurations.”

Lily's eyes widened. It took  _three years_ to complete a Mastery. 

“I'm a prodigy in Ancient Runes,” Haley added with a shrug.

 

**...**

 

At the Welcoming Feast, Haley was sorted after the first years. It was amusing to watch Professor McGonagall incorrectly pronounce Haley's last name. Apparently Narcissus was spelt  _P_ narcissus with a silence “p,” like in pneumonia. Haley was sorted into Gryffindor and she took a seat next to Alice Monroe and Aubrey Bones.

Haley moved into Lily's fifth year dorm, which now had six girls. Lily watched Haley as she unpacked her trunk and put her things around her bed and in her wardrobe. From what Lily could see, Haley didn't have anything unusual. There were several textbooks, her schoolbag, parchment, ink pots, quills, robes, clothes, and several items for her cat. Her cat was curled up on the foot of Haley's bed, and the cat was looking around the dorm.

 

**...**

 

Over the following months, Lily and Haley became close friends. Haley challenged Lily intellectually and academically. Haley attended most fifth year courses, and she had private lessons with Professor McGonagall. The only lessons Haley struggled with were History of Magic and Potions.

In September, Haley tried out for Gryffindor Quidditch and she beat James Potter for the position of Seeker. Potter handled the defeat with some grace and sportsmanship. Haley was _clearly_ the better Seeker, but Potter had trained hard for the position. Potter returned to playing Chaser.

Lily attended the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Game in November to watch her friend. Haley beat Regulus Black to the Snitch by a few minutes. Gryffindor won the game. Between the Potter and his friends (Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew) and Haley, there was a good party. Potter and his friends had the butterbeer and Haley got the food.

Over the winter holidays, Lily returned home to her family, like most of the Hogwarts students. Haley was one of the few to remain at Hogwarts. For Christmas, she gave Lily several books on pure-blood customs. Since Lily wanted to avoid her sister and her sister's new boyfriend, she stayed in room and started reading the books. There were several things that caught Lily's attention – all things Potter had done. Reading the books and significance behind the actions, Lily had a new perspective on Potter. This doesn't mean Lily no longer saw Potter as an ignorant bully – which he was. She now saw him as a love-sick, ignorant bully who was trying to court Lily in old fashion customs.

 

**...**

 

When Lily returned to Hogwarts in January, she sought Haley out and found her in library. Based on the books, Haley was working on Transfigurations. Lily knew Professor McGonagall remained in the castle over the holidays. She assumed Haley worked with Professor McGonagall over the break, and Haley was a little closer to completing her Mastery.

“Why did you give me those books?” Lily asked as she sat down.

Haley glanced up from her book. “I thought you should know,” she replied with a shrug. “I noticed what James was doing, and I figured you would want to know. It's your decision what to do with the information.”

 

**...**

 

The rest of fifth year sped by. Lily was busy with studying for OWLs. Every other fifth year was either busy with their own studying or driving others crazy. Lily didn't bother paying attention to her year mates.

OWLs came and went without any major incident. If Haley wasn't hanging around Lily, then she was hanging around Potter. While Haley wasn't a _giant_ Quidditch nut, she did enjoy talking Quidditch from time to time. She liked to talk Quidditch during times of high stress, and OWLs were stressful.

After the written portion of the Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL, Lily noticed Haley engaged Potter and Black in conservation. Lupin was busy reading a book and Pettigrew was watching the conservation. All four of them failed to notice Severus Snape, Lily's childhood friend. While Lily couldn't prove it, she was willing to bet Haley tried to distract Potter and his friends so they wouldn't bully or prank the other students.

 

**...**

 

As quickly as OWLs came, they were over. The fifth years all had their own ways of celebrating. Lily and Haley were in the library while some of their housemates were having a small party.

“How's your Transfiguration Mastery?” Lily asked, thumbing though a NEWTs textbook. She wanted an idea on what she was getting into.

“Good,” Haley replied with a mischievous look in eyes. “I'm mastered my animagus form.”

Lily's eyes widened. She knew animagus transformation was a high level of Transfiguration, but she didn't know someone could master their transformation at the age of fifteen or sixteen. “What's your form?” she asked.

“A black panther,” Haley answered with a smile. “I'll show you sometime.”

With a nod, Lily returned to the textbook.

 

**...**

 

Over the summer holidays, Lily received numerous letters, mostly from Potter and Haley. For once, Lily was replying to Potter's letters. Usually, she ignored them, but she decided to see if Potter was growing up. If he did grow up, Lily was _considering_ giving him a chance. That chance would start off as friends, of a sort.

Thanks to Haley, Lily understood  _how_ serious Potter was about her. It was touching, and getting courting gifts from Potter made Lily's heart skip a beat. After years of disliking Potter, Lily felt it was important that their relationship start off as friends, so  _if_ they did date they would have a strong foundation for their relationship.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Type: Full-length  
> Prompt(s): Black Cat, Death, and Shadows


	2. Sixth Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slowly, Lily is starting to notice things about Haley.

Sixth year started with Lily arriving to King's Cross station early. She shared a final and tearful hug with her parents before crossing between Platform Nine and Ten. On Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, she spotted a few friends in the crowd of people.

Without taking a look around, Lily boarded the Hogwarts Express. She started by searching the train for a friend. There was an hour until the train left the station, and she didn't need to report for the Prefects' meeting until then.

Somewhere in the middle of the train, Lily found a familiar face. Haley Pnarcissus was stretched across one bench with her black cat, Selene, curled up on her knees. The girl was busy thumbing through a book.

With a smile, Lily stepped into the compartment, “Morning, Haley.”

“Hey, Lily,” Haley said, glancing up from her book. She offered the redhead a smile before returning to the book. “How was the rest of your summer?”

They exchanged letters over the break, about one a week.

“Busy,” Lily answered, taking a seat across from her friend. “Petunia's boyfriend proposed, and mum and dad _don't_ approve.”

Haley nodded. According to Lily's letters, her sister was in a possessive and controlling relationship that she was convinced was the love of her life. No one approved of Vernon Dursley. Petunia thought Lily was trying to ruin her chance at happiness because Lily couldn't stand to have someone happier than she was – or something like that.

“Maybe they'll talk sense into her, now,” Haley said with a shrug.

Lily sighed sadly and she nodded. Petunia might be willing to listen if “Perfect Lily” wasn't around to be compared to.

“How's Severus?” Haley asked. According to Lily's letters, her childhood friend was gone most of the summer.

Lily shrugged. “He won't talk to me,” she whispered. It hurt. While Lily was popular and she had a lot of friends, Severus was her _first friend_ and she loved him dearly, like a brother.

Haley's green eyes narrowed and a look of mischief crossed her face.

Shaking her head, Lily glanced elsewhere in the compartment. There were times when Haley resembled Potter. It was the look of mischief and some facial features.

 

**...**

 

The train ride to Hogwarts went rather smoothly. Lily attended the Prefects' meeting and she listened to the Head Boy and the Head Girl before returning to Haley's compartment. A few other girls stopped by, exchanged words with Lily or visited for a little before skipping off to find other friends. There would be plenty of time to find each other and catch up at Hogwarts.

The Welcoming Feast was _as_ long and boring as ever. Lily was seated across from Haley, a few places down from Potter and his friends. Like everyone else, Lily clapped when a new student was Sorted into Gryffindor.

 _Finally_ it was time to leave the Great Hall. Lily followed behind the first years as other students rushed to the Gryffindor Tower. Haley was among them, but unlike the others, she knew the new password.

 

**...**

 

When Lily entered the dorm, she found her roommates was unpacking and laughing. Each turned to greet Lily. Haley was in the middle of fluffing Selene's pillow as she glared at the cat.

That was something that fascinated Lily. The relationship between Haley and her cat seemed _odd_ – even for magic. There were times Haley was talking with her cat before storming off. Selene merely turned her attention to grooming her paws.

Slowly, one by one, the girls turned in for the evening until it was only Lily and Haley up.

“When can I see your animagus form?” Lily asked, turning to her friend.

Haley paused. “Soon,” she replied. “I'm showing it off to the older students this week, so I'll show before.”

Nothing further on the subject was said before Haley and Lily turned in for the evening.

 

**...**

 

Two days later, Haley was dragging Lily up to their dorm. She shoved the redhead in and locked the door behind them.

Lily stared at her friend, debating what to say, when she caught sight of the look on her face. There it was, the Potter look. Before Lily could say anything, Haley began to shrink and her body started to change. Lily's eyes widened when she was the black panther take Haley's spot.

The panther sat down and she started to groom her pets.

Watching, Lily found herself collapsing onto Haley's bed. She knew her friend was an animagus. Haley had said so on a few occasions. But seeing it was something else.

The panther stopped grooming her paws and turned her green eyes to Lily. The wild cat got up, onto all four paws, and slowly made her way to Lily. She stopped in front of her friend. The next thing Lily knew, there was a large cat rubbing itself all over her legs.

Lily laughed, reaching down to pet the black panther.

 

**...**

 

The next day there were rumors circulating around the castle by lunch. Instead of Professor McGonagall showing off to her NEWTs classes, it was Haley. There were several different accounts, and Lily didn't bother paying attention to any. She had Transfigurations on Wednesday first thing in the morning.

Lily had fun watching the other students. Some believed the rumors and they were pestering Haley to transform while other students didn't believe the rumors and rolled their eyes every time someone mentioned them.

One reaction that interested Lily was Potter and his friends'. They seemed torn about what to believe.

 

**...**

 

Wednesday morning, Lily entered the Transfiguration classroom. She arrived early and she grabbed a seat in the front row. There were only a few other students in the room. As she unpacked her bag, Lily glanced around the room, observing her classmates and looking any sign of Haley.

Movement near Professor McGonagall's desk caught Lily's eyes. She turned her attention to the desk and watched. The shadows around the desk were moving. Based off of the movements, it looked like Haley's panther tail was moving, up and down.

Over the next ten minutes, other sixth year students entered the classroom. Lily was joined a few of her friends. Potter and his friends entered the classroom and took their favorite seats in the middle of the room with Potter and Black seated in the middle. Lupin was next to Black and Pettigrew was next to Potter.

The time for class to start came and went. The other students started to get a little restless. Professor McGonagall was _never_ late. It was well known she hate lateness. As the students started to make noise, talking amongst themselves and complaining about their professor's tardiness.

Lily continued to observe the shadows around the professor's desk. As the students started to grow restless, the tail movement stopped. Lily was willing to bet that Haley changed positions.

Ten minutes into class, the students were irritated. Some were starting to pack up their things while others started pulling out other homework – parchment, like Potter and his friends.

The next thing anyone knew, there was a giant cat jumping onto Professor McGonagall's desk, letting out a fierce roar. Several students dropped their belongings, and others cried out in shock or fear. Lily jumped and fell out of her seat.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall appeared in the classroom. Knowing the Transfiguration professor, she was probably under a Disillusion Charm. When the professor appeared, the black panther shifted into Haley. She smiled, kicking her legs as she sat on the professor's desk. She hopped off the moment Professor McGonagall started her lesson.

 

**...**

 

After Transfiguration class, Haley's popularity skyrocketed. It seemed as though everyone wanted to talk to her. Everyone was interested in becoming an animagus _until_ Haley started talking about the process. It was a long process that enough took years to accomplish, and not everyone had the potential to become an animagus.

There were a few students determined to try, at least. Lily was among them as were a few Slytherins, including Severus Snape and Regulus Black.

With permission from Headmaster Dumbledore, Haley and Professor McGonagall started a club to educate students about the animagus process and help them begin it. Meetings took place in Professor McGonagall's classroom every Sunday afternoon.

 

**...**

 

Before Lily knew it, weeks were spending by. She was busy with her homework, Prefect duties, and the various clubs she was in. The Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch game came and went with Haley catching the snitch in a steep dive that sent Regulus Black crashing into the ground.

On Halloween, Lily attended Professor Slughorn's party. The Potions professor was trying to recruit Haley for his Slug's Club, but Haley had no interest in joining. While the Slug's Club would offer connections, Haley saw it as blackmail of sorts. Because of the club, students were getting connections and Professor Slughorn held access. He had the power to make someone, and he was selective in who he let in.

However, Haley was interested in interrogating Professor Slughorn about a former student named Tom Riddle.

With the knowledge of pure-blood courting, Lily recognized the signs of Potter growing more serious. This year, he didn't ask her out at every turn and he didn't pester her too much. When they socialized, Potter was polite and he tried to act mature. While he still pulled pranks, they were no long humiliating to other students and he was leaving Severus alone, as long as Severus left Potter and his friends alone.

Unfortunately, it seemed Lily was wrong about her childhood friend. Severus wasn't _just_ a victim. He sought Potter and his friends out, and he tried to start several fights with them. Potter walked awhile Black and Pettigrew charged in.

 

**...**

 

Lily went home for the winter holidays, like usual. This year Petunia was away on holiday with her boyfriend, Vernon. Most of the break, Lily spent with her parents. She made time to work on her homework and to write her friends, mostly Haley.

This year, Haley was off on holiday with her family. She didn't reveal too many details, but she sounded excited about the trip. Apparently, they were headed to some small town called Little Hangleton. According to Haley's letters, she was learning a lot about some man named Tom Marvolo Riddle, who was a Slytherin back in the 1940s. Haley promised to explain more when they returned to Hogwarts for the new year.

For Christmas, Lily received a ring from Potter and Haley gave her a blank journal. Lily knew the significance of both gifts. Potter gave Lily a promise ring, which she attached to a chain around her neck. She was touched by the gift, but she wasn't ready to date Potter, yet. First she needed to feel comfortable calling him James. In pure-blood tradition, a lady only wore select rings: her promise ring, her betrothal ring, her engagement ring, and her wedding ring.

Haley's gift was more than a journal. It was a way for Lily to document her spells and her potions. In her free time, Lily found ways to improve some potions and she was trying to craft spells. Haley gave her a Grimoire. In a pure-blood family, Grimoires were closely guarded secrets and passed down within the family. No one outside of the family was allowed access to the Grimoires.

 

**...**

 

When Lily found Haley on the train, she was shocked by her appearance. Haley looked _exhausted_ with dark circles around her eyes. Her hair was shorter, and it appeared to be _singed_ in some places.

“What happened?” Lily asked, looking over her best friend.

“Oh, it's nothing,” Haley declared, waving her hand.

Lily nodded. She didn't believe Haley. It sure _looked_ like something.

It wasn't until they were an hour into the train ride that Haley pulled out her wand and cast a few spells.

“You'll _never_ believe what I found,” Haley declared, turning her attention to Lily.

Lily looked over at her friend, giving her her full attention. “Tom Riddle?” she guessed.

Haley nodded, a smirk growing on her face as a familiar look of mischievous passed through her eyes. “Apparently, he claimed to be the Heir of Slytherin,” she stated, “just like that Dark Lord wanna-be.”

Eyes narrowed, Lily showed her friend. Lord Voldemort was hardly a wanna-be Dark Lord, but she didn't say anything. She knew Haley thought Voldemort was a joke of some kind.

“So that led me to conclude Tom is the Dark Lord,” Haley announced. With her wand she wrote _Tom Marvolo Riddle_ before flicking her wrist and rearranging the letters to form _I am Lord Voldemort_.

Lily's eyes widen and her heart skipped a beat. This was a dangerous conversation.

“I went to Little Hangleton because that's where Tom was born,” Haley continued. She told Lily about a muggle family named Riddle who were found dead in the 1940s, and one of the muggle's names was Tom Riddle.

In her research, Haley found Tom Senior married a woman named Merope Gaunt. The Gaunt family were the last known descendants of Salazar Slytherin. At some point, Senior left his wife and returned home to his parents. Merope died after childbirth and she named her son Tom Marvolo Riddle. Tom Junior grew up in a muggle orphanage in London.

“I find it ironic that Tom is the child of a muggle and squib,” Haley stated, “and he's fighting for pure-blood rights.”

 

**...**

 

The truth of Tom Riddle the Dark Lord Voldemort was all over the castle by the end of the week. Even though Lily couldn't prove it, she knew Haley was behind it. She passed her information onto someone else, probably a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin.

A week later, the story was all over _The Daily Prophet_. Each and every one of Haley's claims was backed up with evidence supplied to the newspaper and varied by the reporter.

A number of Dark families started to distance themselves from the Dark Lord while others declared the story to be false. There was _no way_ a half-blood could be that powerful.

Slug's Club meetings were filled with questions about Tom Riddle and Professor Slughorn did _not_ want to discuss his former pupil.

 

**...**

 

More time passed. Lily kept a closer eye on her best friend. There was something about Haley that Lily was starting to pick up on. Haley knew _a lot_. She knew a lot about current events and she spoke in a mysteriously knowing tone, like she _knew_ what happening.

The real tip off came when Haley suggest Lily's family go on a holiday to France for spring break. Lily wrote to her parents, asking if they could visit France and her parents were quick to agree. Over the holiday, the Evans' house blew up.

That convinced Lily of one thing. Haley was from the future.

 

**...**

 

Of course, Lily didn't ask Haley. She had to be careful about this. So, Lily started to review everything she knew about Haley. There were her features, dark hair and green eyes. The passing looks of mischievous that were familiar. The sad tone she used to talk about her family, though it was clear she loved and missed them. Her Quidditch skills and the way she flew. There were so many other _little things_ , like the way Haley buttered her toast in the morning – it was _just like_ Potter.

That led Lily to think about her relationship with Potter. A lot of it was Haley's doing. She was pointing Lily in Potter's direction.

It wasn't until June that was certain about Haley's identity. Haley was Lily and James' daughter.

 

**...**

 

Lily's conclusion about Haley led to a few changes. Lily started calling Potter by his given name, and she wore the promise ring.

“What changed?” James whispered to Lily one afternoon in the library. His hand was on top of hers and his thumb brushed over the promise ring.

“I realized something,” Lily stated.

“What?” James asked.

“I want our daughter,” Lily whispered.

James smiled. “She helped you too?” he asked.

Lily nodded. So James knew the truth about Haley.

 

**...**

 

It was clear to both Lily and James that Haley was changing something. They had no clue what, and they weren't sure _if_ they wanted to know. It had to be something horrible, and Lily _knew_ it was connected to Tom. It like she _knew_ something happened to herself and to James – something like death.

 

**...**

 

A week before the term ended and the summer began, Lily and James cornered Haley in the common room one night.

“What are you doing?” Lily asked. “What are you trying to change?”

Haley's eyes narrowed and she glanced back and forth between Lily and James. “Of course you figured it out,” Haley muttered, shaking her head. “I was told you were the smartest witch of your generation.”

Lily's heart snuck at Haley's words. That confirmed her suspicions. She died.

With a sigh, Haley answered, “Everything.”

Lily glanced at James and they shared a look. Both wanted more answers, but they weren't going to push.

Acting on instinct, Lily pulled Haley into a tight hug. “You're coming home with me this summer,” she stated.

Haley's arms wrapped around Lily as James put both his arms around them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Type: Full-length  
> Prompt(s): Black Cat, Death, and Shadows


	3. Seventh Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seventh year comes with more changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: The character death is Haley's, kind of.

For once, Lily's summer holidays were filled with more than studying and time spent with her family. Since she was seventeen, Lily was apparating away from home everyday. Somedays she visited with James at Potter Manor, and other days she spent time with Haley.

In her time at Potter Manor, Lily met James' parents, Charlus and Dorea. They were both surprised Lily excepted James. His parents were blinded to his faults, but they thought it would be another year or two before Lily took their son seriously. Lily, also, got to know Sirius Black. Apparently, _Sirius_ had moved in with the Potters back in fifth year.

Since she was dating James, Lily felt she should make an effort in getting to know his friends and being civil with them. That included calling them by their first names, not their last names. Getting to know James' friends was harder than Lily thought. Sirius was something of a witches' wizard, and he had trouble committing to one witch. While Remus was smart, he had a  _huge_ self-pity issue – especially in regards to being a werewolf. Peter was kind of creepy. He followed James and Sirius around, and he was quiet. There were times he seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Try as she might, Lily had trouble prying information out of Haley. Obviously, Haley didn't care about preserving the future, but she didn't talk much about it. Lily wanted to know about Haley's family. Based off Haley's vague answers, she considered her family to be her closest friends.

Haley did share some information, but it wasn't the type Lily wanted to know – at the moment. What good was the Wolf's Bane Potion when she wanted to know about Haley's childhood? What was the use of a truth sermon when Haley changed the subject?

Lily recorded each potion in her personal Grimoire. These would be potions she released, but she wanted to experiment with the recipes and directions first. Haley was confident that Lily could improve these potions. Haley's faith in her filled Lily with determination.

 

**... **

 

Haley worried both Lily and James. While they knew she was their daughter, both saw Haley as a close friend. She kept numerous secrets from them, and there were times she didn't seem to trust them. It was trying for both Lily and James. They wanted to know her – both as Haley Pnarcissus, their friend, and Haley Jasmine Potter, their daughter.

Over the summer holidays, she came home with Lily, but Haley tended to disappear for days at a time. She would come back with twigs in her hair and a glare. From what Lily and James could pry out of her, Haley was looking for something.

Based off of Haley's frustration, Lily had a feeling it was connected to her mission to bring down Lord Voldemort. Haley's mission seemed to be going well.

After  _The Daily Prophet_ articles last year, some pure-blood families stopped supporting him. People didn't seem to fear him  _as much_ . He was still feared for the things he did, but the fear wasn't as as strong.

 

**... **

 

For all times Haley disappeared, there were times she hung around with Lily at her parents or went to Potter Manor with her. Lily and Haley would spend a lazy afternoon at the park, working on homework or cloud watching. Haley even got Petunia to spend sometime with Lily, which meant the world to Lily because she missed her sister. On days they went to Potter Manor, Haley would spend hours in the library learning about the Potter family history or flying with James.

 

**...**

 

With her full days, summer sped by. Before Lily knew it, the first of September came. This year, she apparated herself to the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. She spent the morning with her parents and her sister.

On the train, Lily found Selene in Haley's compartment. With no sight of Haley, Lily let herself in and she took a seat. Selene watched Lily's movements before she jumped over to seat next to Lily. Ten minutes before departure, Haley entered the compartment. She wore a smug expression and she took a seat across from Lily.

“What's going on?” Lily asked.

Haley smiled. “I finished my scavenger hunt,” she declared.

Lily's eyes narrowed. So, Haley finished collecting whatever she was looking for. While Lily didn't know what those items were, she figured it was a good thing.

 

**...**

 

The train ride passed quickly. As Head Girl, Lily led the Prefects meeting with James, the Head Boy. They both rushed through the meeting, covering duties and patrol schedules. Once they declared the meeting was over, they rushed off. James returned to his friends while Lily checked in with some of her other friends before returning to Haley.

When she returned to the compartment, Lily found Haley sound asleep with her head against the window. Selene was seated in her lap, grooming her paws. Lily sat across Haley and she pulled out her Grimoire.

 

**...**

 

The next morning, classes started. This year was the hardest yet, but Lily was able to handle the workload just fine. Between her Head Girl duties, her homework, and her studying, Lily spent more time observing Haley.

Haley spent her time practicing spells and charms before writing the essays. It seemed that the practical magic came easy to her, and she knew the material. From what Lily had seen, Haley often received Os and Es on her essays.

Outside of Quidditch and flying, Haley spent a lot of time on her own. Lily saw her seated in the common room, scribbling away in what appeared to be a journal. Lily was willing to bet it was a Grimoire, not a journal.

 

**...**

 

The months sped by. Haley won the first Quidditch by catching the snitch in ten minutes, allowing Gryffindor to beat Slytherin. James and Lily's relationship grew, and Lily found herself falling in love with him.

Most of Lily's friends were supportive of her relationship with James. Only Severus Snape had an issue with their relationship. He went out of his way to antagonize James and his friends. Following James' lead, Sirius started to ignore the Slytherin as well. It seemed ignoring Severus irritated him more than ever pranking him.

On Halloween, Severus reached his boiling point. As she was leaving the Halloween Feast, Lily ran into Severus. He wore an angry expression and he grabbed Lily's arm with enough force to bruise it. Unlucky for Lily, it was her wand arm and her wand was strapped to her wrist.

“Listen here, Evans,” he said, glaring at Lily, “it's me or him.”

A sense of fear filled Lily. She had never seen this side of her friend before. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Chose!” Severus declared. “Me or Potter? You can't have us both.” His grip on her arm tightened.

“Sev, let go,” pleaded Lily. “You're hurting me!”

Instead of letting good, Severus' grip tightened.

“L-let go of her, Snape!” declared Peter Pettigrew. He had his wand drawn and it was aimed at Severus.

Lily was relieved to see him. While she wasn't fond of Peter, she knew he was one of James' closest friends. At times, Lily liked Peter more than Remus.

“What are you going to do, Pettigrew?” Severus demanded.

Peter's hand was shaking, but it was still pointed at Snape. He didn't say anything.

“That's what I thought,” Snape said. “Run along to Potter and Black, now.” He turned his attention back to Lily, ignoring Pettigrew.

“So, Lily, who is it?” he demanded, his black eyes narrowed. “Me or Potter?”

From her position, Lily saw Peter's hand tighten on his wand and his arm stopped shaking. His eyes narrowed and he wordlessly shot a Stunning Spell at Snape's back. The effects were instantaneous. Snape's body froze up and his arms were forced to his side before falling over.

“Are you alright, Lily?” Peter asked, rushing to Lily's side.

Lily pushed up her sleeve and she inspected her arm. The spot Severus gripped was red and it would definitely be bruised come today or the next day.

 

**...**

 

This happened quickly. Peter escorted Lily to the hospital wing and he was polite enough to levitate Snape along with them. Lily's injures were checked over and documented before they were healed. When James entered the hospital wing, he ran straight to Lily's side and remained there. Sirius followed behind him, pausing to glare at Snape.

When Haley entered the hospital wing, she ignored Snape and she headed towards Lily and James.

“Are you alright?” Haley asked, taking a seat next to James.

“I'll be alright,” Lily said, offering a forced smile.

Haley sighed and she shook her head. She glanced over at Snape. “I guess somethings are meant to be,” she muttered.

That comment peaked Lily's interest. She knew Haley wasn't fond of Snape, but she was supportive of Lily's friendship with him.

When Lily was fully healed and her statement taken by Professor McGonagall, she was dismissed. As she left the hospital wing, Lily cast a glance at Snape.

 

**...**

 

Snape wasn't expelled, but he would be serving detention once a week for the rest of the year. He was forced to remain twenty feet away from Lily, and he wasn't allowed to contact her in anyway.

Lily was saddened by the loss of her childhood friend. She did love him. He was a large part of her life, but he made his choices. It seemed that Severus thought Lily was his and he was obsessed with her. He was obsessed to the point that he was convinced he was in love with her.

 

**...**

 

Before anyone knew it, the winter holidays came. This year Lily spent her time divided between her parents at home and James at Potter Manor. James official met her parents, but as far as they were concerned James was her boyfriend, not her promised.

Haley spent the holidays at Potter Manor as well. Even though James knew her true identity, he hadn't informed his parents. He felt the less people who knew the truth the better it would be for Haley. Lily did agree with him.

In fact, James hadn't even told Sirius.

For Christmas, James presented Lily with the betrothal ring and betrothal contract. The contract wasn't biding. If Lily and James decided to break up, the rings would be returned to James since they were family heirlooms. The contract held other things, like Lily would take the Potter name and she would do her best to provide James with an heir.

If Haley hadn't given Lily those books, she might not have considered a betrothal contract. Before she had considered betrothal contracts to be outdated and barbaric. Thanks to Haley, Lily understood it was vital to pure-blood culture.

**...**

 

When Lily returned to school, she started to focus more on her studying. NEWTs were just around the corner in June. With Haley, Lily started reviewing everything, starting in first year. The material from first through fifth year, was quickly reviewed. Most of that was covered in OWLs while NEWTs largely covered sixth and seventh year materials.

The months slowly started to pass by. Before Lily knew it, she was sitting down for her NEWTs.

 

**...**

 

Haley led Lily and James to a room she called the Room of Requirements. Both Lily and James were fascinated by the room.

In the room, Haley took a seat and she started pulling journals out of her bed. There were twelve in total. Both Lily and James recognized the journals as Grimoires. A person usually filled three in their lifetime, and Haley had ten.

“These should hold everything you want to know,” she said, organizing seven in a pile. “These are my school years.” She pushed the pile towards Lily and James. The top Grimoire had a tan cover with _First Year_ written on the cover.

Haley placed the three others into a separate pile. “These are my post school years,” she said. The last two were stacked together. “And these are my journal here.”

Lily and James looked at three piles.

“You're leaving, aren't you?” Lily asked, staring at Haley.

Haley shook her head. “Kind of,” she replied. “I came back to kill Voldemort. Once he's gone, I should fade.”

A sod escaped Lily's throat as she realized what that meant. Haley would be disappearing.

“When?” James asked, stunned.

“Soon,” Haley replied with a sad smile.

 

**... **

 

For Lily it was all too soon. A week after graduating, Voldemort's wand was sent to Lily and James with a short note. By the time the note arrived, Haley was gone.

 

_Dear Lily and James,_

_Don't mourn me. I did what I did for a reason._

_Voldemort ruined my life. Shortly after I was born, a prophecy was made. Basically, I would defeat Voldemort or he would kill me. Because of the prophecy, you were murdered when I was fifteen months old. I was hailed as The Girl-Who-Lived for surviving the Killing Curse and defeating Voldemort._

_I grew with Petunia and her husband Vernon and their son Dudley. (I hope they don't actually marry.) I knew nothing of magic or you two. I didn't even know I was a witch until my eleventh birthday when Hagrid showed up with my Hogwarts letter._

_Since I didn't know anything about magic or this world, I had a difficult time adjusting. Long story short, I encounter Voldemort in my first, second, fourth, and fifth school years. I defeated him in what would have been my seventh year._

_The reason Voldemort was hard to defeat was because he created horcruxes. There were seven in total – including one in my forehead._

_My friend, Hermione, found a ritual that would allow me to travel back in time. The cost would be my existence. After defeating Voldemort, once and for all, I would fade. I decided it was worth the price. My existence would make a better life for numerous people._

_Meeting you two was a lifelong dream for me. I've always wanted to know what you were like._

_Please, don't mourn me. I know you will, but please live a full life. That's what I want most._

_Love, Haley_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explanation: I don't consider Haley's fading to be a major character death. She will be back.
> 
> Type: Full-length  
> Prompt(s): Black Cat, Death, and Shadows


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on.

After the loss of Haley, Lily didn't really know what to do. She missed her best friend. Haley had been a part of Lily's life for three years. She was the reason Lily gave James a chance. Without Haley, Lily was sure she would have _eventually_ given James a chance, but it wouldn't have been their sixth year.

Lily decided to honor her best friend's wishes as best as she could. She would move on with her life, and she would mourn her friend. But Lily would have Haley back – she would just be her daughter instead of her best friend. Lily would do everything in her power to turn her daughter into the powerful and confident witch she remembered.

With sigh, Lily turned her attention to one Grimoires Haley gave her and James. She picked up the one marked  _Third Year_ . As she settled down to read it, Selene jumped into her lap.

 

**...**

 

Eventually, time did move on. James handed Voldemort's wand over the Ministry of Magic to collect the bounty placed on his head. When Ollivander confirmed it was the wand he sold Tom Marvolo Riddle, the Wizarding World launched into celebration. People proclaimed James was The Vanisher.

Of course, James told everyone it was him, it was Pnarcissus – he made a point to withhold Haley's first name. After all, their Haley would be the only one of her generation – hopefully – and there could be as many Pnarcissus as others wanted.

Within a year, Pnarcissus and all the variations were the most popular baby names in Magical Britain. It was amusing to watch.

 

**...**

 

To some extent, Lily and James filled the roles Haley claimed they did. James became an Auror for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sirius stood by James as his partner. Lily decided to pursue her Masteries in Charms and Potions. As a Potions Master, Lily could invent and release potions as she pleased. Thanks to Haley, Lily had plenty of recipes to experiment and perfect before releasing them.

Haley had altered history. Without the mass amounts of Death Eaters the truth serum was never invented because there was no need. So, Lily spent time perfecting the potion. Veritaserum was the potion that got Lily her Potions Mastery and it made her name known – but by then she was Lily Potter.

Lily and James were married in a small ceremony six months after Haley's fading. It was a time of peace, and Lily and James were in love. There wasn't a point in waiting. Sirius was James' best man and Lily used Alice Monroe as her maid of honor. Petunia served as one of Lily's bride's maids.

At the reception, Lily and James spent time with their closest friends and their family before leaving. After they left, it would seem Remus caught Petunia's interest. They were a couple no one saw coming, but everyone was happy for them, nonetheless.

 

**...**

 

On July 31, 1980, Lily and James had their first child, a daughter. There was no discussion over her name. They both knew who it was. So, she was named Haley Jasmine Potter. She was _perfect_. With a daughter, James quit the Aurors and he decided to take over for his father as Lord Potter. He had a family to think. Over the next few years, Lily and James had three more children. Fifteen months after Haley, they had a son, Charles James. Ten months later, they had twins, Flora Dorea and Elizabeth Lily.

 

**...**

 

Around them, there friends married and started families of their own. Alice Monroe married Frank Longbottom a month after Lily and James' wedding. They only had two children, Neville Frank born a day before Haley, and a daughter June Alice born after the Potter twins.

The first of James' friends to settle down was Peter Pettigrew. Peter married Aubrey Bones. Their first child, a son named Peter William, was born two months before Haley. After Pete came a set of triplets that left Peter and Aubrey swearing off any more children.

After Peter, Remus and Petunia got married. Their first child was a boy named Lucas Remus. Ten months later they had a daughter, Primrose Petunia.

Sirius did surprise everyone by settling down as well. He took the longest but he found a lovely wife in Marlene McKinnon. They only had two children, a set of twins named Leo Sirius and Aquila Marlene.

 

**...**

 

Lily knew she shouldn't have a favorite child, but she couldn't help it. Haley was an amazing child. She was a happy baby, always giggling and smiling. She had James' dark hair color with Lily's eyes and cheekbones. Her accidental magic started when she was eleven months old, which was a little early for magically raised children.

Despite having a favorite child, Lily did her best to treat all her children the same. The younger three existed all because of Haley Pnarcissus. Charles was the spinning image of James down to the hazel eyes and glasses. Flora had red hair with hazel eyes while Elizabeth looked like Lily.

Watching her children grow up, Lily realized she had stopped mourning her friend Haley. While she still missed her, thinking of her no longer made Lily want to cry.

 

**...**

 

Before Lily and James knew it, Haley was eleven and she was starting Hogwarts. She wasn't attending alone. Neville, Pete, and Lucas would be by her side. Lily and James were pleased to learn Haley was Sorted into Gryffindor along with her friends. She wrote home once a week, telling her family all about her classes, the professors, her classmates, and her friends. By the end of first year, Haley's best friend was Hermione Granger.

Haley's Hogwarts years were low-key. Nothing exciting really happened – at least compared to the other Haley's years. Haley made the Gryffindor Quidditch team her first year as Seeker. Lily and James attended each and every game.

In Haley's fourth year, she brought Blaise Zabini home as her boyfriend. Haley dating was something new for both Lily and James. The other Haley didn't have time to date while she was in school or after graduating, and she didn't bother dating when she came to past.

After Blaise came Dean Thomas, and Cormac McLaggen. By her seventh year, Haley was happily dating Pete Pettigrew. Both of her parents found it ironic that she ended up with the son of the man who, in another life, had betrayed her parents.

After graduating, Haley pursued her own Masteries. Like the other Haley, she was talented in Ancient Runes and Transfiguration. In addition to Ancient Runes and Transfiguration, Haley pursued a Mastery in Potions, just like her mom.

 

**...**

 

Lily and James argued for years about whether or not they should tell Haley the truth. Lily wanted it but James didn't. He didn't want to change any of Haley's opinions. In the end, they reached a compromise. They present the Grimoires to Haley and let her decided.

So, the day after her Hogwarts graduation, Haley was seated with her parents in the library at Potter Manor. On the table in front of her parents were three stacks of Grimoires. It was her choice.

“How much different can things be?” Haley asked, picking up the Grimoire marked _First Year_.

“Very,” James answered. “It might change your opinion on things or people.”

Haley frowned, thumbing through the Grimoire in her hand. “I don't know,” she muttered.

“You don't have to decide now,” Lily said. “You know where these are caught.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Type: Full-length  
> Prompt(s): Black Cat, Death, and Shadows


End file.
